Dear Senator,
I am writing you to ask you to find me who the person in charge of the
Department of Labor, Office of workers' Compensation. Is?
I want to file a complaint.
In my 15 years of dealing with OWCP I have been treated badly and
decremented in the way I have been treated by them.
In 1995 I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in Zambia I was injured
in service, The Peace Corps does not have any advocates for the people
they injure so they send us to the Department of Labor, OWCP File
Number 250478733
In doing so, we who are injured with a life altering injury (Their
are Thousand of us in the USA and we are trying to organize to help
our problem with OWCP.I have contacted over 150 in my area) are not
give the rules on how to file an appeal, we come home to nothing and
spend all our money and family help getting on to some rehab program.
By the time we realize it the time for appealing has gone buy.
This tail I am telling you is not just my story. It is the story of
many people who have been injured in the Peace Corps
Filling an appeal is tough for people like me who are not schooled in
the law. Having a life altering injury, we do not have the income to
get legal assistance. All of us are living in poverty, is this way to
treat a volunteer for the good old USA? (I have ask all the lawyers
back East and here in TX no one will deal with federal law)
When I get look at buy my doctors,and submit their reports to OWCP
thinking that a good letter from my Doctors will move my claim. No it
was denied reason being my doctor use AMA Guide to the evaluation of
permanent Impairment 5th Ed and the OWCP does not use it in there way
of gauging a person disability.
I had called OWCP in Boston,. MR Everts at 1-617-624-6627 before I
was examined I ask Boston OWCP what they wanted my doctor to use.
They told me the AMA 5th edition, would be ok. I replied one of my
doctors do not have a copy, can you fax him the section he needs and
they did . I was assured it was all in order but OWCP said NO;
The doctors did not want to change their findings. This did not make
me less disabled and did not get me any help
I went to other doctors for the injury and OWCP say NO innuendo; the
doctors must say it more clearly in their explanation. I cannot put
word in the doctor's mouth.
So the next few denials they are using reason that are unfair. They
say I am not presenting my appeal in a legal manner I am not making a
legal point, or I have sent my appeal to the wrong place and must do
it aging (a simple call to me will fix the problem) Also say I must
use ECAB files to make my appeal easer for them to read.
This type of file is found in a lawyer library. Is this they way we
volunteers get the help we need buy being sent on a fool error.
I was not aware that people who are volunteers must posses a legal
degree in order to get a fare easement with The OWCP .I have call them
for help in putting my claim together and no one will help.
I have give up trying to convince them I can work a full time job .I
went to APEX in Houston took FCE test .I failed and was told, I should
be in Rehab, I also set this to them and was denied.
Other Volunteers who are also injured and have claims with OWCP say
the same happens to them
Postal people have lawyers and unions, we do not have any one to help
us and we get pushed around
Recently I send in an appeal and one of the lines was not clear to
them and they denied me aging. They said they did or read the
evidence. (Could have call me) So I fixed my appeal and resent over 10
pages of information and a notice came back to me saying they did not
understand it, but they did not send my documents back. I call to see
what to do and no one calls back. They clear their desk on the 13 of
December for the holiday.
If your appeal stays in the system up to a few weeks before it is in a
year. it will be sent back with some confusing reason of not excepted.
If the people at OWCO have a file on their desk over a year they have
to file a report on why it has not moved.
I was just asking them to increase my present of disability from the
document I sent them from my doctor saying I cant return to my type of
work with out being tested so I will not be injured more. They denied
my appeal
This is going on with Thousands of people who have been injured in the
Peace Corps
If I do not get some help soon I have a book coming out on my Peace
Corps experience and what happens to people injured with a life
altering injury .A few chapters are going to be donated to people who
help and people who help us.
I like to use this book to organize The volunteers who are injured
with a life altering disability .Let them tell There story in print
and let the world know what Peace Corps is doing to the people they
injure in service. This may get some laws passed..
I do thank you for you time and any help you can give.

Roger Landry

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